Life-change events and women's support ties : an over time network analysis
Date
1993
Authors
Kenny, Lesley Hilde Jane
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Abstract
Network analysis, as an intellectual tool, has been applied to the study of social support. Network analysts examine the content and structure of a variety of networks in order to understand the impact of social structures on individuals or groups. However, few studies document the dynamic processes of networks over time. The research in this area regarding women's social networks have, typically, compared women's psychological levels of adjustment against traditional psychological norms in order to determine adaptive coping measures in networks.
This research is a retrospective investigation of women's perceptions of their support networks before and after they have negotiated a life-change event (LCE). The data for this study were collected during nine, in-depth, semi-structured interviews conducted in participants' homes. Interviews were structured around a life-change event of each woman's choosing. Participants determined a "before" and an "after" period with regard to their LCE in order that over-time changes could be discerned in their support networks. For each of these periods, participants listed names of people they considered to be supportive and then completed questionnaires concerning these people and relationships. A total of four sociograms - diagrammatic representations of people in support networks - were also completed: two represent the number, or range, of support people in a network, and two represent the social interconnections, or density, within this network. One sociogram for range and one for density was completed for the "before" and "after" periods. Participants were asked to compare their "before" and "after" sociograms.
Information from the questionnaires, sociograms and taped interviews was analyzed, qualitatively and quantitatively at two levels: the level of individual relationships and the level of overall network structure. Findings suggest that, in general, a quantitative analysis of sociograms reveals structural and relational changes. For example, networks increase in range by an average of three support people from "before" to "after" the LCE; density appears to decrease slightly "after" the LCE. The circles drawn to represent individual support people are closer to the participants' circles in the "after" sociograms.
Emotional caring and feeling unconditionally accepted by support people appear to be key elements of support for these participants. Although valued, instrumental kinds of support are considered symbolic of, and secondary to, emotional caring. Emotional caring was perceived to engender highly valued feelings of self-acceptance. A third of the women expressed some concern for their perceived inability to reciprocate support during their LCE. The formal support received from doctors or therapists was seldom represented in sociograms although this support appears to be significant.
The nature of particular life-change events appears to influence the relational and structural content of support networks. Two intriguing patterns of support networks emerge: 1) women who associate their LCE's with stigma, seek support initially from formal sources (e.g., a doctor or psychotherapist) before consulting with supportive friends; 2) key members in large networks where women have experienced sudden and traumatic loss (e.g., death of son, death of spouse) help to "spread the word" to other network members and sometimes involve people from "outside" the network to support the woman in crisis.
Notwithstanding the apparent changes from "before" to "after," participants did not talk in terms of their networks as having changed. It appears that range, more than density, may affect perceptions of network stability; that is, only in the case where a network range tripled from "before" to "after" did a participant speak in terms of actual change. Inconsistencies with regard to measuring density, however, must be taken into consideration.
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UN SDG 5: Gender Equality